Shackles
by bStormhands
Summary: Frozen is still a few weeks away but those shackles worry me. Where did they come from?
1. Chapter 1

Shackles for a Daughter

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Author's Note: The trailer shows Elsa in chains and it is obvious that they are custom made specifically for her. So where did they come from?

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"Are you sure about this, husband?"

"No." The King of Arendelle said simply, folding the paper and carefully putting it away. "But there needs to be something in place if she loses control completely. Don't you think, for the sake of the kingdom?"

"I-I guess. The gloves work, she should be safe." The queen swallows. Their daughter did have occasional issues with her power. But she could control it most of the time. "How can we get them made? It is a frighteningly obvious what they are. I'm afraid that rumors would get out and that would destroy her and the kingdom."

"I know." The King sighed. "I am going off on a diplomatic mission in a few weeks. I should be able to find a smith to create them. I am hoping to find an elderly smith that might die soon to undertake it. For security reasons, I am planning on telling them there is a witch in the kingdom that needs to be captured and that should deflect questions well enough and keep them quiet."

The Queen's mouth twisted at that. It was sort of true, but she didn't like thinking of her daughter as a witch. The Queen sighed and nodded. "Okay, then what?"

"Then I bring them home and hide them away."

"I don't like this."

"Nether do I, but what choice do we have?"

"How can they be made? You aren't going to take her with you, she might get suspicious. She is still growing," asked the queen.

"I want you to go to the glover and have a tight pair of gloves made without embellishment. They can be used for a template." The king said. The queen nodded, it was a good plan, her daughter looked so much like her.

The evening sunlight slanted into the darkened smithy. The master blacksmith placed the large dark box on the rough table.

"Well, here you go. I'm no mage but given what you told me it should work. It required much intricate work to make sure it seals properly. It was very helpful you know so much about the witch's magic. Your Majesty." The Mastersmith said. He wasn't going to ask questions. He'd done a few unusual requests from various royalty. He'd talked to other master smiths when they met in conference. You asked the questions you needed, so you knew what it was you had to make and how to make it the best it could be, but a master smith knew to never ask why.

"Yes," said the King slowly.

The Mastersmith opened the box.

The King shivered as the heavy black shackles were revealed in the warm sunlight.

"As you can see they are hinged, these will lock down the fingers and this narrow section will go around the wrist preventing them from being removed. The ridges will seal around the arms and hands completely, as you explained about the magic. The rings will allow this shackles to be locked together or the ...subject to be further restrained." The Mastersmith explained the features of the shackles.

"Very good. They should be able to do the job." The king said staring at the shackles.

"Thank you, your majesty. Is there anything else?"

"No. Here is your payment." The king dropped a nondescript leather bag on the table.

"Thank you your majesty." No, no need for questions, the eyes told too much.

"I wish papa were here." said Elsa, princess of Arendelle.

"As do I, dear daughter, but things didn't work out that way." Said the Queen of Arendelle from her sickbed.

"Thank you, dear child. Now run along, Elsa dear, and deal with those pesky dukes for me now. I know you can." said the Queen of Arendelle.

"Yes, mother. Thank you." said the princess of Arendelle, who stood and gracefully strode out, giving her gloves a tug.

"Oh, and send in the seneschal I need some words with him."

"Of course, mother."

Before long the rotund man entered the royal bedchamber. "You wished to see me your majesty."

"Yes, thank you. I fear this illness is requiring me to do something I did not want to burden you with." said the queen after a cough.

"It is no burden to serve you, my queen." bowed the large man.

"You will not thank me for this."

The man blinked.

"We must hurry, before my daughter returns. Go to my desk, the bottom left drawer, in the teal box."

The man obeyed and brought over a key.

"Now, to the wardrobe the second to bottom drawer."

The key clicked and he removed the box that nearly filled the drawer.

The Queen patted the spot next to her and he placed it there.

"This is most secret. One last chance to back out."

He shook his head.

The Queen nodded as she brought forth another key.

"Open it." The Queen commanded.

The lock clicked and the box opened.

"W-what are _they_ f-for?" he gasped as he saw the pair of long, heavy, black shackles in the box.

The Queen sighed bitterly, "My daughter is cursed with magic. She can control snow and ice. She controls it as best she can but sometimes it becomes too much for her. In case my daughter ever loses control or turns to evil, they should help contain the magic. I need you to care for these while I am indisposed."

"Of-of course, your majesty. Shall I take them to a different hiding place?" said the shaken man.

"Yes, please. I did warn you," chided the Queen.

"You did, but this is a burden you should not carry alone." He wondered if sharing this burden would help the queen recover. He could only hope so.

"No, but the burden my daughter carries, she carries alone." The queen coughed.

The seneschal looked around the great hall, several nobles were huddled in discussion around the Duke of Weselton, but off to one side was Prince Hans who had taken responsibility over the military aspects of the emergency. He was currently talking to the Captain of the Guard and some other military men.

He went over to the prince. "Prince Hans."

The young man turned, "Yes?"

"I have need to speak to you alone, now." The seneschal couldn't put to words what he wanted to say, but hoped the prince could understand that it was important.

Prince Hans looked at the man for a moment, realizing something important was going on, then nodded. Prince Hans turned to the others and said, "See how many men you can equip for a cold weather assault. Report back as soon as you can."

The men nodded and left.

Prince Hans turned to the seneschal. "I am at your disposal."

"Come with me." The seneschal turned and walked away.

Prince Hans shrugged and followed the man back to the seneschal's office.

"What are your intentions about Queen Elsa?"

"From what Princess Anna and Kristoff have told us it seems as though Queen Elsa has no intention of ending this winter. She needs to be stopped."

"Are you going to kill her?"

"I'd rather not. From what I learned of her before ...all this." Hans gestured to the window and the snow covered kingdom. "I would have said she was a good and caring person, if some aloof."

"So, you would try to capture her?"

"Yes, from what I know about magic killing a witch won't necessarily end the magic. We need her to do that for us."

The seneschal weighed the prince in his gaze for several long moments, then said, "A moment, please."

The seneschal locked the door to his office behind them. Then seneschal unlocked the wardrobe, and then a drawer and set a dark wooden box on the small desk.

He pulled out another key, and unlocked the box. "Since you are going to try to capture me queen, you will need these."

Hans gasped, "What are those?"

"Shackles. Specially designed by the former queen to ...contain the magic her daughter has. I was entrusted with these when the previous queen became ill. I am sure you noticed that Queen Elsa always wore gloves, they contained her power. I was ordered that if Elsa ever lost control these were to be used to contain her."

Hans nodded as he took one out and opened it. It was long enough to cover most of a person's forearm and had places for the fingers and loops for chains. He made a note to take locks and chains with them. Hans looked grim as he placed the heavy shackle back in the box.

"Please. I don't know why all of this is happening, but if you can, don't kill her. I've known Queen Elsa my whole life. I once thought she was arrogant and cold, but now I know she was protecting us. She is a good person at heart."

"Anna says so too, that whatever is happening to her is not Elsa's fault. I trust her. I'll do my best to bring Elsa home."

"Thank you. I know you will." Said the seneschal as he grasped the prince's hand.


	2. Chapter 2

"This is wrong!" said the royal glover, putting the wooden models on the burn-streaked, wooden table.

The royal blacksmith sat forward and gazed at the heating metal in the forge. "No, it's fine, they're heating evenly."

"Not the metal! This!" She gestured to everything around them. "We shouldn't be doing this! And certainly not on orders of some foreign prince and duke. Making shackles for the princess... um, Queen Elsa."

The barrelshaped man with the massive arms leaned back and looked out of the doors which were opened slightly to let in light and a breeze for the resting apprentices. "She cursed the land." He said mollifyingly. He was unsure too, but orders were orders.

"Did she?" The thin woman asked as her delicate hands stroked the wooden models of Elsa's hands and arms.

"You were there in the courtyard. You saw what happened to the fountain."

The glover nodded, then she stood, "So? She has magic. Why is that so bad?"

"Look outside and tell me what month it is."

"Elsa is not evil! No matter what they say up in the castle." The woman began to pace back and forth. I made her gloves and checked her hands most days. I know her."

"But you didn't know about the magic."

The glover rounded on the sitting man. "I didn't want to know, but I wasn't surprised! Her hands were always cold."

The man raised a eyebrow.

She went back to the table and caressed one of the models. "Gloves were so important to her. They had to be felt or leather, she wouldn't allow the pretty lace ones I would make to try and make her happy. She would wear the silk for sleeping in."

"But they still lied to you and all of us."

"Considering how everyone is acting I'm not surprised about that either." The glover let out a breathe, "I know she isn't evil."

"How can you know that after all this?"

"She was always polite even in the smallest ways. I inspected her hands often to make sure the gloves fit correctly. I didn't once, after a new pair of gloves, I was busy that winter, and she developed a sore. She didn't complain or anything. She was hurting but didn't take the gloves off. After that I checked her hands every day. She could have, should have done something, but she didn't, she was sorry. Does that sound like someone evil?" The glovers lips were thin with concern.

The smith shook his head.

"And now I'm here helping make terrible shackles to imprison my queen. It doesn't feel right. This is wrong!"

The smith rose, and the apprentices picked up their heavy hammers. "Maybe but this is a job to do, maybe these will help bring our princess back, help her with the magic like your gloves did but can no longer do. We need to do something or we will all die from the cold. I don't know of a better plan. Prince Hans will be back with the Queen and these need to be ready. I'm sorry."

"I know. I'm sorry too. I just wish there was a better way."

The smith shrugged as he picked up tongs and his small hammer. He pulled out one of the gently glowing pieces and set it on the anvil. Marking the spot he wanted hit with his small hammer the apprentices brought their hammers down one by one as the glowing steel was formed into a glove for their queen.


	3. Chapter 3

Elsa Asks for Shackles

Author's Note: I still haven't seen Frozen, so I am guessing based on the trailers. Those shackles are very frightening for some reason.

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Princess Elsa stood before the painted and patterned doors of the royal smithy. She could hear the ringing hammer blows on the anvil. She tugged on her gloves and ran a finger around the tall collar of her dress. She brushed off a speck of grey ash from the chimney that had fallen on her dark cloak.

The hammers fell silent, Elsa took a deep breathe and pulled on the handle. The heavy doors squeaked loudly in the sudden silence. Elsa saw the master and the apprentices looking toward her their faces ruddy from the glowing forge in the darkened hall. The smell of sweat and hot metal filled her head.

They straightened and bowed, and the master smith said, "Princess. Welcome, how may I help you?"

"I need your advice on a ...project I wish to have made."

"Of course, your Highness. What is it you want made?" asked the master smith.

Elsa's eyes darted to the others in the room.

"Come to my office and we can draw something out." The master smith continued smoothly. Elsa gave him a grateful look, a nod and followed the barrel shaped man away from the apprentices.

They sat in the white-washed room with pine panelling.

"Would you like some tea, your Highness?"

"Yes, please." Elsa said as she sat at the table. She knew she needed to drink enough, this spring was hotter then usual and if she didn't drink enough she would get headaches and nosebleeds.

The master smith placed a mug in front of her while keeping another in his own hand. His chair creaked as he lowered himself into it.

Elsa wished she could have taken her gloves off and chilled the tea but that was impossible outside her room, the one place she ever dared remover her gloves, so sipped her tea, letting the fragrance relax her a little. There were many drawings scattered about. Models and bit of twisted metal were piled everywhere. Designs were etched into the walls, but the chairs were plain. Elsa but her lip wondering where to begin.

"Princess, whatever it is, I can make it. I've made all kinds of ...interesting things. My boys are discreet and no one will know."

Elsa gave him a grateful look, he was the best and it seemed that way right now. "I need ...something that will cover my hands and wrists."

She saw him frown slightly and glance at her gloved hands still holding the mug. He held out a beefy hand and she placed her delicate hand carefully in his, concentrating on keeping her power inside her as much as she could. He evaluated the gloved hand of the princess.

"I can make some nice chainmail gloves. Making the rings so small..." he trailed off at her shaking head as she withdrew her gloved hand.

"Chainmail isn't solid enough." Elsa said quietly, watching him, as she placed her hands together in her lap. She saw his eyes become unfocused slightly as he did the mental math, but his head kept shaking slightly as he kept coming up with answers he didn't want to consider.

"I wear gloves to contain my hands. Someday, I may need something... stronger then cloth or leather. Flexibility is something I would sacrifice for that strength."

She watched his eyes as he tried to process that. His mouth opened slightly as words tried to form, questions to ask, but she knew she wouldn't answer most of them.

The master smith cleared his throat and resettled himself on his chair closer to the princess. "You have some kind of magic effecting your hands, don't you?" He asked quietly.

Elsa's jaw dropped open. "How could you know that?" She was certain it was a family secret kept even from her sister and the staff.

"I didn't. I just put it all together. You are famous for your gloves. You always wear long sleeved clothes. The many doctors and your sister was hurt in some kind of magical accident. That was you, wasn't it?"

Elsa breathe caught in her throat. Who else could know? Did everyone know? Her chest was pushing against her corset as she tried to breath.

"Princess, your Highness. It's okay. I figured it out because you just gave me some important clues that no one else has. Your secret is safe. It's okay."

"Y-you're sure?"

"Yes, yes I am. There are all kinds of rumors about why you wear gloves. Even the most outlandish ones I have heard don't mention magic so you are safe." He smiled at her.

Elsa tentatively smiled back.

"Do I have to do this quickly?"

Elsa shook her head, "No, I have it under control, for now. I am just worried about it getting beyond me."

"Okay." The master smith stood and rummaged around in the bits of twisted metal and came back with two... things, Elsa wasn't at all sure what to call them.

"To explain why you are here, you are going to choose one of these tavern puzzles as a present to your sister."

"Okay, but what are they?"

The man smiled, "A tavern puzzle is simple in concept but hard to do. It is something to occupy long winter nights at the tavern. This one is the Reindeer And The Snowman. You have to get the snowman off the reindeer. And this one is The Two Sisters, remove the heart and the two figures come apart."

Elsa considered the snowman, she loved the snow, but as a gift to her sister she knew, "I'd like The Two Sister please."

"Good. In a few weeks I'll give myself a letter from someone notorious from the next kingdom over and say it is a special discrete request for him. I'll allow the apprentices to think it is something other then it is. That way they can whisper about it and not get you in trouble, then I will pretend to sent to to him while sending it to you. Is that acceptable?"

"That is more then acceptable. I have no good way to thank you, but here is a payment," Elsa pulled out a leather pouch that jingled with several gold coins.

"No, princess. You are dealing with something very heavy. I am sorry that I can't make it lighter." He closed her hand around the money.

Elsa bit her lip and looked at him with shining eyes.

"Thank you. One more thing though. When you make them, make sure that I, and not just my hands, can be restrained as well. Just in case."

"Can it get that bad?" The master smith looked quite sad at that.

"I don't know but I need to be prepared for that eventuality."

"You are a good person, your Highness. I don't think it ever will, but I will do that, for you."

"Thank you. You are a good man. I understand why my father holds you in such high regard."

The heavy man ducked his head at the compliment.

"Thank you, your Highness."


End file.
